10 



This fact that buds, and the branches which develop from 

 them, as a rule occupy a definite position as regards the leaves 

 is of great importance, and we are thus helped in doubtful 

 cases to arrive at a decision as to whether a certain member is 

 to be regarded as of the nature of a branch or of a leaf. What- 

 ever first arises in the axil of a leaf may usually be regarded as 

 a branch, and what' subtends a branch as a leaf. 1 



Various 14. A stem which is soft and 



*?S?f more or less succulent is said to be herbaceous, if firm, and 



more or less tough and hard, it is said to be woody. 



In some plants there is very little, if any, stem and they 

 are said to be stemless, or acaulescent, e.g. Plicenix acaulis. 

 In others there are several stems of equal vigour ; such stems, 

 occurring in tufts, are said to be caespitose, as in many 

 Bamboos.^ 

 Sterjcwfare : 



erect, when ascending perpendicularly, 



ascending, when rising obliquely, 



decumbent, when erect, but with the basal portion 



horizontal, or nearly so, 



reclining, when the basal portion is more or less erect 

 and the upper portion curved downwards with the 

 apex trailing on the ground, 



procumbent, or prostrate, when lying on the ground, 

 repent, or creeping, when prostrate and also rooting as 



they grow, 



soandeni, when climbing, 



twining, when they climb by spirally coiling around a 



support. Twiners may ascend in two directions, i.e. 



they may ascend from left to right, as viewed from 



outside the coil, in which case they are said to be 



dextrorse and to move in an anti or counter- 



clockwise direction, or they may ascend from right 



to left, when they are said to be sinistrorse and to 



move in a clockwise direction, see Fig. 1, Plate II. 



Stems may also climb by means of special organs called 



tendrils. These are slender, thread-like bodies, simple or 



branched, which firmly attach themselves to a support by coiling 



around it, or by adhering to it, and thus hold the stem secure- 



ly. Others climb by means of hooks and spines, e.g. 



Calamus tennis. 



The stems of some plants, although not distinctly climbing, 

 are wide-spreading and may often be found resting on, and 

 more or less entangled with, the stems and branches of other 



